Wonder
On Thursday, February 11, 2016, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford, Washington, announced the first direct observation of gravitational waves. Part of the scientific method and any scientific theory is being able to make testable predictions. This is an ecstatic moment for science because such waves were predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which he had published in 1915. The direct observation of gravitational waves further solidifies the theory, and provides a strong basis for further experimentation, observation, and prediction. The scientists at LIGO are almost certainly going to receive a Nobel Prize in Physics for their contributions.
I have posted about science before. Science is—and always will be—an inherently systematic and methodical approach to understanding the world around us. Without the methods of science, it's difficult to envision our understanding of something as commonplace as electricity being so far advanced as it is. It's given us so much.
However, when discussing the LIGO gravitational wave observation in class, a fellow student asked what the implications of the findings were on everyday life. The confirmation of the gravitational wave opens a huge new door to how we observe the universe. But my friend insisted on how the discovery could be applied to everyday life; that is, how would such a massively hyped scientific discovery change our lives—it has to, if it's worth anything, right? Otherwise, what's the point?
The point is that this landmark observation gives us a beautiful confirmation of a prediction Albert Einstein theorized over 100 years ago. The general theory of relativity is the best model we have for the mechanism that enables gravity to keep the Moon in orbit around the Earth, and the Earth in orbit around the Sun. It explains how the world we live in works.
My friend criticized the theoretical nature of many aspects of modern science. So what if we might live in "space-time"? Theoretical physics probably isn't going to directly make it easier for us to live our life—is it going to directly improve our technologies? Is it going to solve the social issues of the day?
Indeed, human society is riddled with issues that have yet to be solved. Different ideologies have different ideas as to why these issues exist. Take, for example, poverty. Some believe that poverty is a structural issue, meaning that the economic system itself forces people to fall into poverty and makes it difficult for them to find a way out. Others believe that poverty is an individual issue, meaning that the people themselves are the ones that caused their own poverty, perhaps as a result of being lazy, ignorant, or otherwise inferior.
Imagine human civilization coming to that impossible point, at which it has solved all social issues and created the ideal society. Everyone is happy with how society is set up and their place in it. What, then, will we do? The "make the world a better place" mantra has far less value, as the world is already the best it can be. My answer is that we should all join in on the discussion of why and how it is the universe exists. As Steven Hawking wrote in his masterful book A Brief History of Time (1988):
We are all human beings living on a single, small, and I mean small planet in the universe. On the scale of the universe, the whole lot of us are so fantastically insignificant, it's humbling. We've got the social issues, but we've also got that innate, insatiable feeling that begs us to ask why and how the natural phenomena of the universe occurs. It begs us to ask what our place in the universe is, and what truly is our ultimate goal. While we have used this scientific understanding of the natural world to make our lives easier, let us not forget that that feeling that drives us is wonder. I promise you that eventually, a better understanding of the world around us will help our lives in some ways we can't even dream of today.
You just have to wonder.
I have posted about science before. Science is—and always will be—an inherently systematic and methodical approach to understanding the world around us. Without the methods of science, it's difficult to envision our understanding of something as commonplace as electricity being so far advanced as it is. It's given us so much.
However, when discussing the LIGO gravitational wave observation in class, a fellow student asked what the implications of the findings were on everyday life. The confirmation of the gravitational wave opens a huge new door to how we observe the universe. But my friend insisted on how the discovery could be applied to everyday life; that is, how would such a massively hyped scientific discovery change our lives—it has to, if it's worth anything, right? Otherwise, what's the point?
The point is that this landmark observation gives us a beautiful confirmation of a prediction Albert Einstein theorized over 100 years ago. The general theory of relativity is the best model we have for the mechanism that enables gravity to keep the Moon in orbit around the Earth, and the Earth in orbit around the Sun. It explains how the world we live in works.
My friend criticized the theoretical nature of many aspects of modern science. So what if we might live in "space-time"? Theoretical physics probably isn't going to directly make it easier for us to live our life—is it going to directly improve our technologies? Is it going to solve the social issues of the day?
Indeed, human society is riddled with issues that have yet to be solved. Different ideologies have different ideas as to why these issues exist. Take, for example, poverty. Some believe that poverty is a structural issue, meaning that the economic system itself forces people to fall into poverty and makes it difficult for them to find a way out. Others believe that poverty is an individual issue, meaning that the people themselves are the ones that caused their own poverty, perhaps as a result of being lazy, ignorant, or otherwise inferior.
Imagine human civilization coming to that impossible point, at which it has solved all social issues and created the ideal society. Everyone is happy with how society is set up and their place in it. What, then, will we do? The "make the world a better place" mantra has far less value, as the world is already the best it can be. My answer is that we should all join in on the discussion of why and how it is the universe exists. As Steven Hawking wrote in his masterful book A Brief History of Time (1988):
My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all. ... If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God.
We are all human beings living on a single, small, and I mean small planet in the universe. On the scale of the universe, the whole lot of us are so fantastically insignificant, it's humbling. We've got the social issues, but we've also got that innate, insatiable feeling that begs us to ask why and how the natural phenomena of the universe occurs. It begs us to ask what our place in the universe is, and what truly is our ultimate goal. While we have used this scientific understanding of the natural world to make our lives easier, let us not forget that that feeling that drives us is wonder. I promise you that eventually, a better understanding of the world around us will help our lives in some ways we can't even dream of today.
You just have to wonder.